Home » Blog » Paleo Diet » Paleo Diet Recipes » Paleo Dessert Recipes » Paleo Carrot Cake with Coconut Butter Frosting

Paleo Carrot Cake with Coconut Butter Frosting

My little sister once proclaimed that she wouldn’t eat carrot cake because it was too healthy for dessert. However, many carrot cake recipes out there are anything but healthy, packed with so much sugar you can barely taste the carrots and crammed full of processed grains with little nutritional value. This Paleo carrot cake with coconut butter frosting is an antidote to that. Our recipe cuts the sugar and replaces it with coconut sugar. The all-purpose flour is dropped in favor of coconut and almond flour along with flaxmeal. With these ingredients cut back, the carrots finally have room to shine, highlighted by fragrant spices, coconut, walnuts. This is carrot cake as it was meant to be enjoyed.

A Short History of the Carrot Cake

Did you know that before there was carrot cake, there was carrot pudding? Carrot pudding is a traditional dish in many parts of the work, from Ireland to India. It has been around in Europe since at least the middle ages.

Originally, carrot pudding could be either sweet or savory, however, the sweet version eventually became more popular, evolving into the precursor of the carrot cake we know and love today. This may because refined sweeteners like sugar were very expensive and carrots were sweet enough that they required little to no sweetener to make a lovely dessert.

No one knows exactly when the modern carrot cake came into being, but it has been reported that in 1783, George Washington was served carrot cake to celebrate British Evacuation day. The recipe which was later published bears a striking resemblance to modern recipes. Except for the frosting! The classic cream cheese frosting didn’t become popular in America until much later in the 1960’s.

Three Fun Facts About Carrots

1. Carrots were first cultivated in South Asia – The oldest record of domesticated carrots are from Afghanistan and date all the way back to 900 AD. Carrots were so popular that by the 1300s, they could be found as far as China and Northern Europe!
2. Carrots are mostly water – Carrots are on average about 88% water.
3. Baby carrots don’t actually grow that way – Originally, “baby” carrots referred to young carrots, much smaller than their fully-grown counterparts. This changed when California farmer, Mike Yurosek, got tired of getting rid of perfectly edible carrots with small blemishes. He peeled the carrots until they were the perfect shape and size and a new snack food was born.

A Paleo Cake for Every Occasion

You can’t make carrot cake for every special occasion. Luckily, we’ve got you covered.

• Paleo Strawberry Coffee Cake
• Paleo Vanilla Pound Cake
• Paleo Chocolate Birthday Cake

Paleo Carrot Cake with Coconut Butter Frosting

---

• Author: Louise Hendon
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 16 slices 1x
• Category: Dessert, Snack
• Cuisine: American

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

Carrots take center stage in this Paleo cake.

---

Ingredients

For the cake –

• 5 medium eggs
• 3/4 cup (180 g) coconut sugar
• 4 carrots (200 g), shredded and liquid squeezed out
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (180 g) of almond flour
• 1/4 cup (28 g) flaxmeal
• 1/4 cup (20 g) shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup (56 g) coconut flour
• 1/2 cup (59 g) walnuts, chopped
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) ghee or coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons (4 g) baking powder
• 2 teaspoons (4 g) of cinnamon powder
• 2 teaspoons (4 g) of ginger powder
• 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
• Dash of nutmeg
• Dash of salt

For the frosting –

• 1 cup (240 ml) coconut butter (+ coconut oil if needed)
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 ml) vanilla extract
• Dash of salt
• Additional walnuts, for topping

---

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C).
2. Whisk the cake ingredients together.
3. Line an 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper (or grease the pan).
4. Pour the cake batter into the pan and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
5. Check the cake is done by inserting a cocktail stick and making sure it comes out clean.
6. Meanwhile whip together the frosting ingredients and spread on the cake.

Notes

All nutritional data are estimated and based on per serving amounts.

Nutrition

• Calories: 378
• Sugar: 17 g
• Fat: 30 g
• Carbohydrates: 24 g
• Fiber: 6 g
• Protein: 6 g